


The First Christmas

by CheshireKatt357



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Baby It's Cold Outside, Christmas, Christmas Music, F/M, Theatre, performer/technician
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 07:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2805020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireKatt357/pseuds/CheshireKatt357
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katriona Rivers loves her job as a theatre technician. What she doesn't love is the metaphorical bus her coworkers throw her under when the really attractive tenor's duet partner doesn't show up for rehearsal. What she loves even less is that she owes every last one of them - even the big mouthed, perverted, and nosy ones - because, dang it, this wasn't supposed to happen!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Under the Bus, Into the Spotlight

**Author's Note:**

> I've had the base idea for this story for four or five years. I couldn't find a good fandom for it, and it's way to cheesy for an original story. When I discovered RPF (that's a thing?? Oh, this is awesome!), I decided, what the heck. I know that Sebastian Stan was on Broadway...but I have no idea if he sings. I guess that's part of the fiction part. Anyway, this is mostly to get this idea to leave me alone (finally), so any flames will be used for movie snuggles with my sister.

Katriona loved her job. It was fun, creative, had a familial atmosphere, and she got to see some really awesome things. She was so glad that her first job was being a theatre technician for the small auditorium on her university campus that catered mostly to the various clubs’ performances. As an undecided major freshman, it also gave her a clue on what kind of career she wanted to pursue.

Weeks like this week, though, she really kind of hated. Working every night until after ten o’clock, was not her idea of fun. It was the second to last week before the end of the semester, also known as the week before finals, and Rainier Auditorium was hosting the annual Broadway or Bust, the university’s all-encompassing theatre club – dramas, comedies, tragedies, musicals, they performed everything – Christmas Carol-Off. It was surprisingly popular, but that might have been because of the detail that went into the production. It was one of the biggest productions of the year with lighting effects featuring gobos, video projections, and props – which was an oddity for the small auditorium. Everyone went all out for this production. Not only was it one of the biggest productions of the year, it was also the last.

“Out with a bang.” Brett Leeman, the director of Rainier Auditorium and Katriona’s boss, said when telling the new technicians about the carol-off.

Even with all the crazy preparation and late-nights, Katriona loved her job. 

Tuesday evening, she decided that her coworker and friend, Rebekah Lenton, was no longer in her good books. It had started normally enough. Katriona arrived early with the rest of the technicians. They had begun setting things up, moving curtains, lowering screens, and the BB people began to trickle in. They started with their group chorus – We Wish You A Merry Christmas – and then one of the tenors stepped forward. And, was he hot!

Focus Katriona. Not only do you have a job to do, but he is so out of your league!

“Anyone seen Iyanna?”

“Nope.”

“Alright, can we do Baby It’s Cold Outside last since one of our singers is missing?” the woman who seemed to be in charge – must be the club president – asked.

“Sure.” Brett replied.

“Thanks.” she sighed. “Somebody find that girl! I don’t care if you have to go to her house! Of all the times…” the president trailed off as she walked off stage.

“Think that happens a lot?” Rebekah whispered.

Katriona nodded as she said, “I guess so, at least with that performer.”

The tenor walked past them on his cell.

“Iyanna, it’s Sebastian, again. Look, I don’t know what’s been going on with you lately, but we’re rehearsing tonight, as in now…” his voice trailed off as he walked downstairs to the dressing rooms.

“Well,” Devon huffed.

“Okay,” Rebekah trailed off.

“Prima Dona, first lady of the stage,” Katriona sang softly. 

The other two girls burst into giggles.

“What’s going on back here?” Brett asked as he came up to the stage manager’s consul.

“Nothing.” The three girls replied innocently.

“Mm-hm.” Brett hummed unconvinced, but smiling. “I’m going upstairs.”

“Okay.”

They went through seven songs, working on choreography and lighting mostly, but also on sound. That was when Sebastian returned to the stage.

“It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas, right?” Brett’s voice came over the God-mic.

“Right,” Sebastian confirmed into his headset microphone.

“Wow,” Katriona breathed once he began singing.

He was good.

“Ooh, somebody's in love.” Rebekah teased.

“Am not. He’s just a really good singer, and really, really attractive.”

“Kat has a crush.” Devon sang.

Unfortunately, she was on headset to keep in contact with Brett and the other technicians upstairs. The next second her eyes widened.

“Brett heard that, didn’t he?”

“Sorry.” Devon offered with a shrug.

Katriona groaned loudly and banged her head on a nearby metal pole – one that wasn’t supporting extra lights.

“That was Kat hitting her head on a pole. I think she’s embarrassed.” Devon said into the headset.

“Hey, you got his attention. He’s looking our way!”

“If there was ever a time to be kidnapped by Hades, now would be it.”

“Did everything sound good down there?” Brett called.

“Yeah, everything was good. Hey, Iyanna’s still not here. Do you wanna call it a wrap?”

“Kat sings!” Rebekah offered.

“Rebekah!” Kat spun to glare at her coworker. “It’s not that simple. If I’m not in the right key or octave, I could screw everything up.”

“What key are you?”

Kat stared blankly at Sebastian.

“I have no idea. I’m an Alto, that’s all I know.”

“That’s fine.” Sebastian waved her over.

Kat blinked at him. It was official, she was dreaming.

“Go on!” Rebekah urged with a gentle push.

“You’ll need this.” Devon added handing her a headset microphone.

Kat heaved a heavy sigh.

“Alright.” she sighed again before heading on stage. “Baby It’s Cold Outside, right? What version? No guarantees I know it.”

“Just wing it.”

“Sorry?”

“Sing however you want. It’s jazzy.”

“Okay…”

“Do you have chairs we could use?”

“Yeah, just…” Kat trailed off when she saw Rebekah and Devon grabbing the chairs.

“Thanks.” Sebastian said as he took the chairs and placed them where he wanted. “Right, so it starts with a clock bell ringing and I’m trying to convince you to stay.”

“’Kay, so I’m improvising?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m honored with the faith you’ve stored in me, a complete stranger.” Katriona snarked.

“I’m Sebastian Stan.” Sebastian held out his hand expectantly.

“Katriona Rivers.” Katriona offered bemusedly.

“There, now we’re not strangers.”

Kat laughed outright as Sebastian sat in the chair on center stage right, leaving Katriona the chair on center stage left. Sebastian draped his arm around her chair back.

“We’re ready.” he called once Katriona’s giggles had subsided.

“I really hoped I don’t screw this up.” Katriona muttered to herself, the mic picking up her voice causing her to flinch.

Sebastian squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

“Just be you.”

A clock bonged over the speakers, followed by the jazzy intro to the song. Katriona jumped up from the chair and made to exit stage left. Sebastian stood as well and grabber her hand to stop her.

“Wait, don’t go.”

“It’s late.”

“Have you looked outside? I can’t let you go out in that!”

A falling snow gobo light up the scrim.

“I really can’t stay.” Katriona pulled her hand out of Sebastian’s grip and took a step back.

“Baby, it’s cold outside.” Sebastian matched her with a step forward and grabbed her other hand.

“I’ve got to go away.” Kat took another step backward, pulling away again.

“Baby, it’s cold outside.” Sebastian matched her just as he did before.

“This really has been,” Katriona leaned forward earnestly, covering their joined hands with her free hand.

“Been hoping that you’d drop in.” Sebastian leaned forward as well.

“So very nice.” Katriona let go with the last word of her line

“I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice.” Sebastian caught both of her hands and guided her back toward center stage.

“My mother will start to worry.”

“Beautiful, what’s your hurry?”

“Father will be pacing the floor.”

“Listen to the fireplace roar.”

“So really, I’d better scurry.”

“Beautiful, please don’t hurry.”

“Maybe just a half a drink more.” Katriona conceded once they’d reached the chairs again.

“Put some records on while I pour.” Sebastian spun her stage right.

“The neighbors might think…” Kat offered lamely as she looked over her shoulder.

“Baby, it’s bad out there.” Sebastian walked toward her, glancing upstage and pretending to hand her a drink which she took.

“Say, what’s in this drink?” Kat asked with a coy look.

“No cabs to be had out there.” Sebastian kept his eyes on the snow screen, though he did offer her a wink.

“I wish I knew how,” Kat attempted to show that she was singing aside.

“Your eyes are like starlight now.” Sebastian made the same effort, though he was looking at her intently.

“To break this spell.”

“I’ll take your hat, your hair looks swell.” Sebastian pretended to take a hat off her head and toss it over his shoulder. He reached out as if to caress her hair.

“I ought to say no, no, no sir.” Katriona took a few steps downstage, waggling her finger.

“Mind if I move in closer?” Sebastian stepped into her personal bubble.

“At least I’m gonna say that I tried.” Katriona took a wide step around Sebastian heading for stage left.

“What’s the sense in hurting my pride?” Sebastian asked with an exaggerated expression of hurt.

“I really can’t stay.” Kat offered, backing up beyond the chairs. She pretended to fumble for a door handle.

“Baby, don’t hold out.” Sebastian pleaded as Kat “succeeded” in opening the door.

“Ah, but it’s cold outside.” Katriona let Sebastian take her into his arms, pretending to be thoroughly chilled.

“I’ve got to get home.” Katriona argued, though she made no move to leave Sebastian’s embrace.

“Oh, baby, you’ll freeze out there.”

“Say, lend me your coat?” Kat looked up at Sebastian imploringly.

“It’s up to your knees out there.”

“You’ve really been grand.” Kat pulled away slightly, putting a hand on his cheek.

“Thrill when you touch my hair.”

Kat moved her had up higher with a sheepish look even as she continued.

“Why don’t you see?”

“How can you do this thing to me?”

“There’s bound to be talk tomorrow,”

“Think of my life long sorrow,”

“At least there’ll be plenty implied.”

“If you caught pneumonia and died.”

“I really can’t stay.”

“Get over that hold out.”

“Ah, but it’s cold outside.”

“Oh, baby, it’s cold outside.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stay.”

The music faded and the lights cut out a second later, a second too late. Then, Kat’s coworkers erupted in applause as the lights came back on.

“Why are you not performing?” Sebastian asked releasing her a second later as if it were an afterthought.

“It’s just a hobby.”

“Well, you’re very talented at your hobby.”

Rebekah rushed onstage to give Katriona a tight hug.

“When you said you could sing, I didn’t realize you meant sing. That was good, no better than good; it was great!”

“Thanks…can you let me breathe now?”

“Sorry.” Rebekah let go quickly.

“It’s ok.”

Brett came over the God-mic.

“That was fantastic. Now, you’re going to have seating and…”

“I’ll be bringing a couch, a fireplace – not a real one, a couple side tables, a gramophone, and a door. You won’t have to pretend next time.”

“Next time?”

“Um, yeah, if you don’t mind. I really liked performing with you.”

“I can’t.” Katriona said quickly. “I have to work, and you already have a duet partner – absent though she may be – and I can’t sing in front of people.”

“You just did.”

“That was different. It was mostly an empty room, and we tease each other for doing well, let alone doing horribly.”

“Can I at least count on you to help me show that routine to Iyanna? That was gold.”

“I guess I can do that.” Kat acquiesced.

“Great. Same time tomorrow then?”

“I’ll be here.”


	2. Prima Donna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat and Sebastian continue rehearsing and Iyanna finally shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this took so long. My plot bunny died and left me abandoned in story land. I guess a warning is in order: this is mostly dialogue.

Iyanna didn’t show up at the next rehearsal, or the one after that. Kat continued to rehearse with Sebastian, though she suspected that the routine was going to be dropped. To be honest, she was kind of glad that Iyanna had apparently vanished. She loved singing, and she enjoyed performing, and Sebastian was a great guy. There were a few times that she ran into the tenor outside of Rainier and they’d chatted amiably.

She had been pleasantly surprised when he sat down in front of her at the campus café with a simple, “Is this seat taken?”

Of course, the answer was no.

“You looked lonely.” Sebastian said to her somewhat confused look.

She arched an eyebrow and gave a pointed glance at her book as she fiddled with her earphone cord.

“Really?” she asked.

“Well,” Sebastian laughed.

So did she.

After a moment, Kat ducked her head and focused blurrily on her book.

“You’re not much of a talker are you?” Sebastian asked.

“I’m shy.” Kat blurted.

“Is that why you can’t perform in front of people?” 

She nodded.

“Bummer.”

And then he changed the subject to how frustrated he was with one of his classes. Katriona gapped at him for a good full minute of the rant before shaking herself out of her headspace.

“I have a quick, unrelated question.”

“Shoot.” Sebastian encouraged.

“What’s up with your partner? Iyanna?”

Sebastian sighed and ran a hand over his face.

“I have no fu-lipping clue.”

“Nice catch.”

“Thank you.”

It was silent for a minute.

“Do you think she’s ever going to show up?”

“I hope not.”

Kat blinked at him.

“Why not?”

“’Cause I like working with you a lot more than I like working with her.”

“Um, thank you?”

Sebastian laughed again.

“You’re welcome.”

They’d chatted for another couple of minutes before Kat’s alarm had gone off.

“Well, that’s my cue to get to work.” Kat said as she gathered her things.

“Here let me walk you.” Sebastian offered as he got up as well.

Kat eyed him warily.

“I have to go anyways, why not get there early?”

“If you say so…”

Sebastian accompanied her into the house of Rainier.

“Kat!” Brett called as she approached.

“Brett!” she called back.

“You brought a friend!” he added when he saw Sebastian.

“He insisted on walking me.”

“Ah, how sweet!” Nataly cooed.

“So, you’re just going to hang out there until rehearsal?” Brett asked.

“If you don’t mind.” Sebastian said sitting down in the front row.

“Ok,” 

“So, how long have you and tall, dark, and handsome been dating?” Sonia asked once Kat had clocked in.

“We’re not dating.”

“Right, he just wanted to walk you here for, what? Simplicity?”

“Hey now, he could have just been being nice and making sure she got here safely.” Nataly argued.

“Yeah, us men can still be chivalrous.” Elliot added.

“Thank you.” Kat sighed.

Crisis averted.

“Either that or he’s trying to butter you up.” Nataly smirked.

“That’s also a possibility.” Elliot conceded.

Kat smiled and shook her head.

“He’s not going to convince me to replace his duet partner by walking me to work.”

Her coworkers gapped at her.

“That’s not what she meant.” Sonia said.

“Why else would he want to butter me up?” Kat wondered.

“Uh, cause he likes you?” Nataly offered.

“So?”

“So he wants to sleep with you.” Elliot clarified.

“WHAT?” Kat shrieked.

Or not.

Sonia, Elliot, and Nataly jolted back.

“Whoa!”

“Jeez!”

“Shh!”

“What’s going on back here?” Brent looked between the elder techs and Kat, who was grimacing and steadily getting redder. 

“What’s going on?” he asked again.

 

“I think we broke her.” Elliot answered.

“Look, she’s turning the same color as her hair.” Sonia observed.

“How?” Brent inquired.

“We just clarified some things for her.” Nataly smiled.

“I hate you all.” Kat groused in a small voice.

“No you don’t, you love us.” Elliot reassured.

“Not right now, I don’t.” she snapped back.

“Kat!” Sebastian called as he ran backstage.

“Oh, thank heavens,” she muttered. “Yes!”

Sebastian froze and took in the group.

“Am I interrupting?”

“No, no you’re not.” Kat gave her coworkers a pointed look as she broke away to approach the tenor. “What do you need?”

Someone behind her coughed what suspiciously sounded like “you.”

“Bless you.” Kat snapped.

Sebastian looked between her and her coworkers warily.

“Okay,” he directed her on stage. “Kat, this is Iyanna. Iyanna, this is Kat. She’s been helping me work on our duet.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Kat greeted.

Nothing like greeting a performer with a pointed comment, Katriona.

I really don’t give a rat’s bloody, tailless rear-end right now, sorry.

“Hi,” Iyanna glanced over her before turning back to Sebastian.

Kat frowned.

“Yeah. Hey, Brett, do we have time to run through real quick?”

Brett glanced at the clock before nodding.

“You have till six.”

He handed his keys off to Nataly and Elliot to head upstairs to the sound booth.

“You have all the props?” Iyanna asked.

“Yeah, they’ve been here all week. Kat, let me help you get that.” 

He walked over to where Kat was struggling to remove the door from its hiding space.

“I’ve got this.” he whispered.

Kat nodded and went to retrieve the other props that she could move by herself. She grabbed the fake fireplace and the tray of glasses that   
went on top. Sonia placed the coat rack and the table with the gramophone onstage. Brett and Sebastian worked together to move the couch onstage.

“Alright, so,” Iyanna walked onstage after everything was placed. “I’m sitting here?” she approached the cushion Sebastian normally claimed.

“Actually, you sit down there.” Sebastian pointed to the front row of seats. “I want you to see how we’ve planned things.”

“Fine.” Iyanna huffed before flouncing to the seats.

“Wow,” Kat breathed.

“You’re gonna do fine.” Sebastian reassured her gently, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Oh, that’s not…” Kat shook her head. “Never mind. I’m fine.” Kat smiled for good measure.

“Here you go.” Sonia chirped handing over the wireless headsets.

“Thanks, Sonia.” Kat said as she and Sebastian took their seats.

Honestly, she was pleased with their performance. It was probably their best yet. Iyanna, however, wasn’t so pleased. She was frowning at the stage by the time they’d finished.  
Sebastian sighed heavily.

“What didn’t you like?” he asked.

“Well, it’s just, there wasn’t enough flare. This is a show! Not a, a, a child’s game.”

Kat opened her mouth to ask if that wasn’t the whole mood of the performance – the intimacy of the moment – before clicking her mouth shut.

Sebastian sighed again.

“Iyanna,”

Iyanna jumped up and rummaged through her purse when a chime emitted from it to pull out a cell phone. 

“Hold on, I’ve gotta take this.” she said turning away and walking out of the building.

Kat looked at Sebastian slack jawed and wide eyed.

“Is she always like that?” she asked.

Sebastian grimaced.

“Pretty much.”

Kat couldn’t help but feel sorry for every member of BB if they had to put up with Carlotta on a regular basis.

“Well for what it’s worth, I think that was our best yet.”

Sebastian smiled.

“Thanks Katriona.”


End file.
